Motor-driven vehicle.



N0. 817,258. PATENTED APR. 10, 1906. v 0. G. A. LITTMANN.

MOTOR. DRIVEN VBHILE.

. APPLIOATION rn.s:o MAR.1 1904.

OTTO GUSTAV ADOLF LITTMANN,

OF CHARLOTTENBURG, GERMANY.

MOTOR-DRIVEN VIEHECLE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. April 10, 1906.

Applicn.tion fil d Merck l, 1904:. Serie] N0. 196,001.

Be it known that I, OTTO GUSTAV ADOLF LIITTMANN, a subjeot 01 the King of Prussia, German Emperor, residing Lt Charlotten burg, near Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia, Gern1an Empire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motor-Driven Vehicles and I do hereby declare the following to be a lull, clear, and exact description 0f the invention, such as Will enable others skilled in the art to whioh lt appertains to make and use the sinne.

This invention relates to an improved a1- rangement er eonstruction of motor-driven vehioles.

The improvements oonsist, substantially, in that oho Wh0le of the 1neans for driving o1 Fropelling ancl bmking the vehicle and the ike are arranged 011 the front wheels anal their axle or ach upon seid axle, While the steering of the vehicle is efleeteol by means 0f tl1e bind wheels. The front axle is 1nade of suflioient strength and the l1ont wheels o1 a sufficient size f0r this purpose, while the hind wheels can be 1nade as 10W es required by ehe eonstruction and purpose 0f the vehicle.

The fundamental idea 0f the invention thus consists in the arrangem6nt of large front driving-wheels ancl small rear steering-wheels. This arrangement is essentially different lrom that heretofore usual in motordriven vehioles wherein the steering has as a rule been effected by means 0f ehe front Wheels, while the four wheels have been of equal 0r approximately equal size. Motorvehicles have already been oonstrueted with large driving and small steering wheels; but the smallsteering-wheels have, as usual, been located in Front 0'f the vehicle. Vehicles have also in exeeptional instances boen adapted 130 be steered loy means 0f their rear wheels. In these oases four large wheels of equal size have always been used.

It beoomes practioalole in a vehicle 0011- struoted in accordance With this invention to arrange between ehe front wheels tl1e Wl10le of the means for driving er propelling and braking tl1e vehicle a nd the like. The Vehicle will then be drawn after the manner of a horse-drawn vehiole by alle tractive force 0f' its front driving -wheels instead of being pushed, as in existing constructions, by means of rear driving-wheels. In oonse uenoe 0f this and o1 the relative sizes of the w 1eels the advantages hereinafter set forth are attained.

A motor-driven vehicle or automobile (5011- struoted acoording to this invention is shown by vvay ol example in 1;he aceompanying clmwing in oombination with a benzin-motor, it being 0f course obvious that any other motor-suol1 es a gas, steam, or eleotrio 1110tor* nmy be also employed. The shapo and arrangement of tl1e vehiele-body and of' the drivers seat shown in the drawing are not material, and lt is obvious that t11e ear-body, ancl therefore also the drivers seat, may be made of any clesi1od extornal shape and may also be provided with a rool o1 oover, so that the vehicle oan be bui.lt f01 the most varied uses-suoh as, for example, a sporting cm, oalo, private earriage, landen, omnibus, goodswagen, &c.

In the drawing well-known partssuch as the spokes of the wl1eels, the axle-bearings, and such lil e subsidiary arts hzwe boen omitted fo1 the purpose o1" enabling the essential pmts ol the invention to be better illustrated. Tho drawing .is therefore to be 0011- sidered es a diagmnmmtic dmwing.

In the motor-vehiclo sl1own in the dmwing, the front wheels a are ol relatively very large diameter'wllile tl1e bind wl1eels b 2L18 of relatively small diametor. The axles a ond b of uhose 0W0 pai1s ol wheels oarry the suitziblyeonstrucoed underl1mne c, 011 whioh latter the oar-body dwith Ehe driversseat erests. This drivers seat e .is located immediately over tl1e ii0nt axle a and is therefore specially elevated. It eould be made to fold er turn ove1 o1 be removable for the purpose of allowing an easy aooess fio the driving parts Whi0h are loozmted under the drivers seat 011 tl1e unde1frmne 01 act upon tl1e axle a These driving parts are sl1own in the drawing in outline only, f being tl1e cylinder, and g the fly-whoel casing 0f Ehe moto1 whi.ch -serves to drive theaxle a, oithel clireotly 01 through the 1nedium of gea1ing h, for ehanging the speed and powe1 ratio. The levers l01 start ing, sp eed-ohanging, 01' revorsing und f01' trausing 1;l1e b1ake to aot in a suitable 1nanner on the axle a nmybe a1ranged without diflioulty 011 the drivers sea1; o1 in a oonvenient positi.on to be operatecl tl1erefrom. Further, the dmwing shows the water vessel i witl1 cool- 111g clevioe und a bonzin-tank 712 looated between tl1e wheels a.

'll1e steering of the vehiole is elfected by operating the bind. wheels l), Whioh, as lms hithe1to been usual in the ease of the 'l'10110 wheels of motor-ozus, a1e pivoted in armes o1 forks, Tho 1neans for ope1auing the Wl1eels b in turning round fro1n tbe steering-wbeell consisl; oi suiteblyerrenged rodding m m.

Motorvebicles constructed eccortling t0 this new errenge1nent beve tbe following importent edventeges:

First. The drivers seet, wbieb is now 10- ceted directly over tbe clriving perts, is situeted et such e beigbt es t0 eneble tbe driver 130 heve e free view in every direction forwerd end beekwerd witbout trouble'. This is of pertieuler importence in l1eevy treflie in nerrow pleees more especielly, beceuse motorvebicles must move not only forwerd, but also beekwerd, end tberefore it is very importent tbet tbe clriver sboultl beve e free outlook beekwerd over the 0er es be bes f0r Ward. In ehe cese of borse-clrewn vebieles tbis is 11013 necessery, end in such eases the locetion 0f tbe drivers seet 01 box et e greet elevecion is only an expeclient t0 eneble ehe front wbeels t0 pess under tbe vebicle-body Further, tbe errengement of the drivers seet directly over tbe n1otor end in elose proximity to the drivingwbeels simplifies tbe trensrnission 0f tbe power.

Second. The lerge wheels on the bigb drivingexle cen ecquire e bigber speed Witb slower revolution so thet be tires end tirecovers ere less subject t0 Wee1 end teer. Furtber, es tbe mein loed is cerried by tbe front wbeels tbe vebiele Will not be solieble t0 jump end lurcb ebout 0n uneven, srnootb, 01 slippery roeds, so thet ehe vebiele Will therefore run more smootbly. Tbis is very importent for sefety in treveling beceuse tbe lerge wbeels wbicb also sup 01t be greetest loed of the vebiclenerne y, tbe engine beve e greeter frietion, end tberefore e greeter trective force so tbet tbey cen give e bigber speed 0f trevel Witb e moderate speed of revolution. Wheels revolving et e bigb speed ere very lieble 130 slip end e1e wenting in breking power wben desired t0 stop.

Tbird. If tbe vebicle-body be constructed in tbe forrn 0f e ceb, landen, er tbe like, tbe enti1e vebiele is rende1ed shorter, end tbereby 1n01e hendy end eonvenient end espeeielly suiteble for use in lerge towns. Tbe vebiclebody itself, especially in tbe Oase 0f wegons, certs, end street-omnibuses, mey be errengecl es 10W es desired, beceuse l3l16 bind wbeels een be mede es smell es desired.

Fourth. Tbe steering by 1neens 0f tbe bind wbeels is more exect end more rapid eben by meens 01 the front wbeels beceuse it is eesy to give tbe s1neller bind wbeels eny desired turning angle, wbicb was n0t ehe cese Wib tl1e l'1ont wbeels 0f tbe motor-vebieles bitberto employed. Furtber, tbe ectuel weigbt of tbe vebicletbet is t0 sey, tbe vebiclebodyrests upon tbe bind wheels whicb serve f01 steering tbe vebiele, whereby tbe sefety end reliebility 0f tbe steering is increesednemely, tbe steering-wbeels wbich beve been bitberto employed end loceted et tbe front pert 0f tbe vebiele end beve been loeded to e smeller extent ere very lieble to be diverted on slippery roeds 01 by unevenness 0f tbe treck witbout tbe person bolding tbe steering-wbeel of tbe vebiele being eble to remecly tbe wrong movement 0f tbe steering-wbeels in tbe sbort time eveileble f0r tbet purpose. New tbis wrong movement of tbe steering-wbeel tbi1s eccidentelly produced bes bioberto ceused tbe most eccidents wbicb beve occurred, espeeielly wben treveling et e bigh speed.

F ifth. By errenging tbe motor end the driving perts ebove end below tbe front exle it is possible to meke tbe vebicletbet is to sey, tbe entire motor-vebiele-shorter then in tbe types of construction bitberto ernployed, wberein by reeson 0f tbe 10W front wbeels all tbe perts bed 130 be errenged ebove tbe exle, end tberefore behind one enotber. Tbis is specielly tbe eese in beevy wegonsomnibuses, heckney-cerrieges, end the like.

Sixtb. The system of construction herein desclibed Will deprive motor-vebioles 0f e greet pert of tbeir denger, end, furtber, i is eesy to provide e suiteble cetcbing 01 lifese-ving device in front of tbe Vebiele.

WVhet I cleim is In e motor-driven vebicle, tbe combineti0n oi two reletively lerge front drivingwbeels, two bind steering-wbeels of smell size reletively 130 seid front wbeels, en eleveted exle f0r tbe front wbeels serving es e driving encl breking exle f0r tbe vebicle, e motor loeeted between tbe front wheels, g'eering between tbe motor end tbe drivingexle 0f tbe vebicle, e weterreceptecle loeeted between tbe front wbeels with cooling errengement for tbe 1notor, e store-reeeptecle loceted between tbe front wbeels end below tbe front exle, e cer-body over ehe reer exle, e drivers seet loceted over tbe front-wbeel exle end ebove tbe plane of tbe cer-body, end meens f01"- opereting tbe smell bind wheels from tbe drivers seet.

In witness wbereof I beve bereunto signed my neme tbis 17 oh dey of Februery, 1904, in tbe presence 0f tw0 subscribing witnesses.

OTTO GUSTAV ADOLF LIT'IMANN.

Witnesses 4 MAXIMILIAN QUIGLY, WVALDEMAR BROOK.

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